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Kindness In the Classroom

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Kindness In the Classroom
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“If I had to get rid of all my other curriculums and keep just one—this would be it.”
Amber Freismuth, Community Care and Preschool, Beaver Dam, WI

“It’s a very simple guide that can be adapted for a variety of ages. It’s easy to follow and it really has an impact.”
Marci Speich, Glenn Stephens Elementary, Madison, WI

“Our class is truly a community because they’ve all learned the social-emotional skills needed to work well with each other.”
Amber Freismuth, Community Care and Preschool, Beaver Dam, WI

“Across the board, I have seen an increase in empathy and overall kindness in all of my students.”
Megan Peterson, Philip Elementary School, Phillips, WI

“This curriculum teaches the most important skills that children need to do well in school and in the world.”
Renae Henning, Community Care and Preschool, Beaver Dam, WI

Watch
 

Learn about the Kindness Curriculum—including the direct benefits of teaching mindfulness in a classroom setting.

 

Watch the ways students learn mindfulness by paying attention to their senses, breath, and body movements.

 

Explore how students recognize and work with their emotions, learning to care for themselves and others.

Learn
Learn

The Kindness Curriculum is a free 24-lesson guide designed to help pre-k and kindergarten students attend to their emotions, self-regulate, and care for themselves and others. Developed and researched by the Center for Healthy Minds at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Kindness Curriculum has shown to have a positive impact on academic performance, peer relationships, and teacher-perceived social competence. 

PBS Wisconsin and the Center for Healthy Minds have teamed up to share more about the Kindness Curriculum through the video series Kindness in the Classroom. Watch the videos for an introduction to the foundational concepts of mindfulness in a classroom setting. Then, check out the additional resources to hear insights directly from teachers, and even practice mindfulness yourself! 

You can download the Kindness Curriculum, read about standards alignment, and learn about the research behind the curriculum.

Practice
 

Hear directly from educators about their experiences implementing the Kindness Curriculum in their classrooms.

 

Practice bringing mindfulness into your life by participating in our short, guided mindfulness exercise.

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Curriculum

The Kindness Curriculum, available in both Spanish and English, has been shown to help students self-regulate, improve peer relationships, develop a stronger sense of empathy and kindness, and positively impact academic performance and social competence.

Download Curriculum
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Standards

The Kindness Curriculum addresses the Social Emotional Learning Competencies from the Wisconsin Model Early Learning Standards in the areas of Self-Awareness, Self-Management, Focus Attention, Social Awareness, and Relationship Skills. We’ve also included cross-references to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) Core Competencies.

Download Standards
Credits

Executive Producer: Megan Monday

Producer: Ryan Hendricks

Production Assistants: Mia Forslund, Luisa DeVogel, Ian Glodich, Hobbes Legault, Kurt Kaspar, Brandon Ribordy

Videography: Ryan Hendricks, Colin Crowley, James Donovan

Art Director: Philip Ashby

Animation and Motion Graphics: Amanda Roslansky, Steve Dorchester

Motion Graphic Support: Ian Glodich

Graphic Design: Vicki Pierce

Sound Design: Beaux Neylon

Captioning: Vicki Way Kipp

Website Development: John Vieth, Norman Cuaño

Center for Healthy Minds Specialists: Lisa Thomas Prince, Lori Gustafson

Curriculum Creation and Support: Center for Healthy Minds (University of Wisconsin–Madison), Healthy Minds Innovations, Inc.

Participating Teachers: Marci Speich, Renae Henning, Amber Freismuth, Megan Peterson

Mindfulness Meditation Guide: Sarah Jacobs

Participating Schools: Glenn Stephens Elementary (Madison, Wisconsin), Community Care and Preschool (Beaver Dam, Wisconsin), Phillips Elementary School (Phillips, Wisconsin)

For more information visit the Center for Healthy Minds at UW-Madison

Special thanks to Nancy Gunzberg for her generous support of this project

Additional support from the Friends of PBS Wisconsin’s Focus Fund for Education and the Timothy William Trout Education Innovation Lab

By using the PBS Wisconsin Education website or any of the resources provided to you through the website, you signify your agreement to our Terms of Use.

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